New York City is made up of five boroughs: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. Each one has enough attractions—and enough personality—to be a city all its own. Learn more about them with this guide.

Photo: David Black

Gramercy Park Flower Shop236 Third Ave., 212-475-4989
Flower shops may seem as ubiquitous as pizza parlors and taxicabs in New York, but Gramercy Park Flower Shop merits a closer look; owned and operated by the same family in the same location for more than 100 years, it's a Gramercy institution. "We're one of the last old-fashioned, full-service flower shops in New York," beams Michelle DiPasquale, a longtime in-house florist. Proud to have served more than three generations of customers, the knowledgeable staff excels in creating seasonally themed arrangements—look out for autumnally hued roses and hypericum berries in fall and delicate white anemones and amaryllises in the winter—and accommodating customers by repotting houseplants, placing special orders and even making house calls for assistance with oversize plants. Check the shop's website regularly for "today's arrangements"—designs ready for same-day delivery in the NYC metro area (vase included). This location is the first, but the business has expanded to include an annex in Chelsea Market and an outlet in the MetLife Building; a fourth location is planned for Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood. —Harrison Peck